Cruel Gun Story 1964

Togawa, Jō Shishido, a former bank robber, is released early from prison thanks to the influence of Matsumoto Hiroshi Nihon’yanagi, a wealthy yakuza boss. Ito, Matsumoto’s right-hand man, lays out a bold plan: lead a crew to hijack an armored truck carrying the city’s racetrack earnings to the bank, a payday of 120 million yen that would be split between the Matsumoto Family and the crew.

Togawa, initially skeptical, is convinced when he learns his old partner in crime, Shirai, will also be taking part. The two recruit a washed-up boxer, Okada, and a heroin-addict former police officer, Teramoto, to complete the crew. The plan calls for Teramoto to pose as a police officer and man a roadside diversion by planting signs to steer the armored truck off the main road. Once the truck is pulled onto a more deserted country lane, Togawa will shoot out the outriders and force the truck to stop, forcing the drivers to abandon the vehicle. To cover up the robbery, the truck, its occupants, and the motorcycles would be loaded into a cargo truck with an electric winch and spirited away to a hidden spot before being discarded elsewhere.

Before the heist, Togawa visits his sister, Rie, at the hospital. He tells her he feels responsible for her accident, which happened during a late-night grocery run he encouraged, but she reassures him there’s nothing to blame himself for and that she’s simply glad to have him back. She gives him a rosary as a reminder to stay on the right path and asks him not to pursue further crime for her sake, then she encourages him to seek a cure for her own problems. Afterward, Togawa goes to see his friend Takizawa and asks him to look after Rie if he cannot.

On the day of the robbery, everything goes according to plan until after the outriders are shot: the armored truck drivers refuse to exit, so the crew must pack the truck with the drivers still inside. The delay leaves the outriders’ bodies and motorcycles at the scene, which are later found by the police. The group hole up in an abandoned factory and hook the exhaust from the winch truck to the cargo hold to force the armored truck drivers to abandon the vehicle, lest they suffocate. The plan proceeds, but Shirai is wounded by a dying driver as they pull the truck out.

Teramoto’s girlfriend, Keiko Minako Kozuki, unexpectedly arrives and reveals she has been spying on them for Ito. She takes Togawa to meet Ito while Shirai, Okada and Teramoto stay behind to guard the money. Ito orders them to stay at a nearby hotel for the night so he can guide them to the stash the following morning. When the pair reach the hotel, they are ambushed by Ito’s hitmen and must kill them to escape. The two split up: Togawa heads for the factory, while Keiko heads to Takizawa’s house.

At the factory, Okada and Teramoto double-cross Shirai and beat him to steal the money. Togawa returns and kills them both to save his friend. Soon after, Ito and dozens of yakuza arrive, triggering a massive shootout. Togawa and a wounded Shirai are forced to flee into the sewers, leaving the money behind. The next morning, Takizawa and Keiko find Togawa and Shirai at a sewer outflow. Togawa urges calling an ambulance for Shirai, but Takizawa checks his pulse and confirms he is already dead.

Days later, Togawa hides from both the police and the yakuza at Takizawa’s home, plotting to kidnap Matsumoto’s son Haruhiko and hold him for ransom—both to recover the money and to humiliate Matsumoto. Takizawa and Keiko try to talk him into leaving the country, but he cannot be swayed. After leaving, Togawa is approached by Yanagida, head of a rival yakuza group opposed to Matsumoto, who suspects Togawa’s involvement and offers to help recover the money in exchange for a share. Togawa agrees and informs Yanagida of his kidnapping plan, then visits his sister one more time at the hospital before heading out again.

Yanagida Junichi Yamanobe and his men kidnap Haruhiko and demand the full 120 million yen as ransom. Matsumoto agrees to the terms, but Ito argues that the money belongs to the entire organization and should be protected. Ito proposes to oversee the exchange to ensure safety, but instead orchestrates a betrayal, ambushing Yanagida’s crew and killing Haruhiko. Back at Matsumoto’s house, Ito calls to report the failed exchange, and Togawa seizes the moment to confront him. When Matsumoto pulls a hidden gun, Togawa shoots him and escapes with the money.

With Matsumoto dead and the money missing, Ito storms Takizawa’s home and pressures him into helping track down Togawa, but he shoots Takizawa as well. Ito waits for Togawa but accidentally kills Keiko when she arrives. Togawa arrives soon after, finds Ito distracted while trying to hide Keiko’s body, and shoots Ito dead. A wounded Takizawa, who mistakes Togawa for Ito, shoots him before dying. Horrified by the carnage and delirious from his own wound, Togawa stumbles through the burning scene as the money and his friends’ bodies burn around him, clutching the rosary his sister gave him, and succumbs to his injuries.